Vital Processing Interlocking (VPI) Upgrade Project.
11 Interlockings in 11 months.
CLIENT: Queensland Rail
The vital processing interlocking (VPI) Upgrade project was formed to allow for the renewal of 11 VPI Signalling Interlockings in the Brisbane Suburban Area and upgrade of all signals within the affected stations to LED.
Upgrades Produced the following benefits:
- Decreased Faults and Failures
- Increased reliability of services
- Improved on time running
The refreshing of the VPI interlockings and Signal Equipment rooms included:
- Construction, SAT and FAT all Signal equipment rooms
- Construction, SAT and FAT all interface Locations cases
- Upgrading the line circuit protection
- Relay interface including removal of ACO board
- Design development of equipment rack and building layouts
- Implementation of power supply upgrades
- Complete segregation of Internal (clean) and external (dirty) control wiring
- Signals upgraded to LED
- Stage work all Power distribution
- Stage work all signalling interlockings from old to new
- Commissioning of Power Equipment Rooms (PERs) Prior to main commissioning to bring the new SER online
- Power upgrades to field infrastructure
- SIMBID Removal, Dutton Park to Cannon Hill, Interfacing back to Yeerongpilly
- Redundant Trackside Equipment Removal
Upgrades delivered over 4 major commissioning’s which required wheel free periods during the signal outages to allow commissioning teams to complete changeover, set to work and commissioning of the signalling system.
Vital to these 4-major commissioning was the implementation of Signalling interlocking and power stage works over consecutive short closures to allow commissioning activities rather than changeover to occur during the main closures.
All Power upgrade works, PER Commissioning’s and the staging of all field equipment was completed outside of the main closure’s. We planned the closures in conjunction with Queensland Rail’s CAU Team with the intention to reduce the length of the main closures with minimal disruption to the rail network. We carefully planned and managed the stage work of signalling upgrades including cables, Power upgrades and PER commissioning’s inside 4 or 6 hour night closures which allowed the JBE team to focus on the Interlocking commissioning’s during the main closure. To make a point of the efficiencies achieved we were able to begin correspondence testing to UTC as soon as the communications bearers and Data at the Control Centre had been changed.
JBE Signalling fulfilled the role of Principle Contractor for the project and managed the complete requirements for the Workplace Health and Safety, Environment, Test and commissioning with asset handover of the sites, all being achieved on time every time.
Service Pack 3 – Bethania, Kingston.
- 2 x 8 meter Signal Equipment Rooms constructed, Tested and Commissioned
- Term Loc’s to allow integration to existing network constructed, Tested and Commissioned
- Power upgrades to existing Field Locations Modification completed Tested and Commissioned
- 2 Power Equipment Rooms Integrated, Terminated, Tested and Commissioned
- All Signals upgraded to LED
